Erisa
by DisneyMegara
Summary: This is the story of my Cats fan character, Erisa. This is my view on the cats world so please don't complain if it doesn't fit your view of it. I'm not sure how far I will get with it, but it's amusing me at the moment.
1. Chapter 1

Coricopat shot into Erisa's den in the corner of the junkyard. Erisa was nowhere to be found, there weren't any kittens around being kitty sat which normally meant she was out, but he knew she was around. She wouldn't be unreachable at a time like this.

"'Ris? Where are you? I know you're here, I can sense you." Coricopat being a witch's cat wasn't comfortable in situations like this. He could find anything and anyone anywhere and not being able to find Erisa in a space as small as her den unnerved him. "Erisa, stop playing games with me. It's Tantomile, she's…."

"Had her litter, I know." Erisa dropped down from behind a cardboard box and greeted her friend. "I hope you told Old Deuteronomy before you came here. He'd choke on a fur ball if he thought he wasn't the first to know."

Coricopat smiled, "Of course I did. He mentioned that I ought to tell you next, though he doubted you actually needed to be told. Tant was asking for you as well. She, well we both, thought you might turn up for the birth … Actually she was a little worried."

"I didn't want to intrude, I would have come if she'd needed me and she didn't so I waited until invited." The small queen picked up a bag from on top of one of the many boxes in her den, "Well come on 'Copi, Tant'll be wondering where we are, and the sushi won't be as nice if it gets warm." Catching the look on the tom's face she added, "I went to visit Uotani-san who was kind enough to give me the leftovers from his restaurant, Tant could do with something to eat I'm sure."

Coricopat shook his head and laughed to himself as they set off across the junkyard. Erisa was legendary in the tribe for always being able to get what she wanted from humans and most Jellicles as well for that matter. She was small, young looking and decidedly fluffy, often with bits of twig caught in her fur, most assumed she was a large kitten, maybe a young queen, but she had been around for as long as anyone cared to remember. Old Deuteronomy adored her quirky ways and would hear nothing bad said about her which she used to her advantage. The parent cats of the tribe thought Erisa was the best thing since catnip; she had elected herself tribe kitten sitter and would keep the kittens for as long as they wanted with no charge at all. The kittens loved Erisa because she would take them out to the fishmongers for supper, teach them how to stalk by playing 'Prowl and Pounce', this is similar to hide and seek but the idea is to sneak up on each other and pounce before you are seen and best of all, as long as they went to bed when they were told, she would wake them up for midnight feasts; purely hush hush of course. For a Jellicle of seemingly very little actual power, she had a lot of control over the tribe.

The pair arrived at Coricopat and Tantomile's den and quietly went in. Tantomile was lying on an old sofa with her kittens sleeping next to her. Looking up at her friend she smiled. "I thought you'd forgotten about me. I was so sure you'd be here."

Dropping the bag down beside the sofa, Erisa looked hurt. "'Miley, I'd never forget you, I just didn't think you'd want me here… I'm hardly a calming influence; after all, when I was named after a goddess of chaos it was done for a reason." Opening the bag she handed Tantomile some of the sushi then pushed the rest over to Coricopat.

"Ris! How can you say that? You are the nearest I have to a sister and I wouldn't have cared if you brought Jenny's beetle tattoo with you." Tantomile sighed; there was no point worrying about it now. "You're here now, that is what matters."

After Tantomile had eaten she gently picked her kittens up so Erisa could meet them. There were 6 in total, three tom kittens, three princesses, and every one of them the spitting image of their mother and uncle. Erisa wasn't surprised in the slightest; a witch's cat was a witch's cat. It didn't matter who the father was, the kittens would look like their mother and uncle even if the father had been green.

"'Miley they are adorable, you'll have your paws full though. Six is quite a litter to bring up by your self." Erisa wasn't fishing to know who the father was, she knew that already; but she wondered if Tant would allow him to have any part in raising them.

"She won't be alone," hissed Coricopat, "I'll be here to help her and I can't imagine that you won't get your paws on them at some point either. I'm not having the kittens' dad having anything to do with them. He's not one of us, he doesn't know our ways. No arguments." Coricopat had always been protective of his twin, but when she had told him she was expecting he hadn't let any tom with the exception of Deuteronomy anywhere near her, he didn't know who was responsible so wasn't going to allow any of the options near.

"Copi; you know full well what I meant. He should be allowed to take some part in their lives." Erisa was all for family helping out, but she felt the kittens should know their dad. "I'm sure you will be a wonderful uncle to them but it's not the point at all. I will also point out that you don't have to ask me to look after them. It isn't tribe law after all."

Tantomile was furious with her brother. "Coricopat how dare you speak to 'Risa like that? If it hadn't been for her getting her paws on us when we were kittens1 we would have starved to death, no-one else would have taken us in. Apologise to her this minute. And the kittens will know who their dad is."

"I'm sorry Erisa; I didn't mean it like that. I do appreciate what you did for us, and what you will hopefully do for us in the future, truly." Coricopat didn't often take back anything he said, and it showed, he looked very uncomfortable indeed, but when it came to his sister's and Erisa's feelings he had to make exceptions. "We'll talk about the father later" he hissed at his sister.

Erisa accepted his apology with a smile. The sound of a twig snapping outside alerted them to the visitors that were on their way as word of the births had spread around the tribe. Bombalurina, Cassandra and Demeter were the first to arrive they cooed over the kittens asking if they'd been named, which was oldest and all the other things everyone asks when someone has children. Next to arrive were the Rum Tum Tugger, Skimbleshanks and Griddlebone; they were almost as gooey as the first three. Slowly all the tribe arrived to coo and wish the family well, even Gus and Bustopher Jones took time away from their respective clubs to pay their respects. (Demeter was fairly sure that Jellylorum had insisted that Gus came, it was almost unheard of for him to miss a drink.) Last of all to arrive was Old Deuteronomy aided, as ever, by Munkustrap. Coricopat found an old crate for Deuteronomy to sit on as everyone cleared a path for their leader to get through.

The old cat smiled as he saw the latest members of his tribe, he knew they were at least part his blood line so they were his children as far as he was concerned. After some time Deuteronomy announced that there would be an official welcome for the kittens as soon as their eyes were open. The tribe knew Deuteronomy loved a party, and welcoming kittens was as good an excuse as any to have one, though it never ceased to amaze them that he could still cope with the fuss they always caused. Deuteronomy had a few words of advice for Tantomile, this being her first litter, while the others stood round looking on. When Deuteronomy had finished talking with Tantomile he instructed everyone to go home. It was his opinion that mother and babies needed their rest and they wouldn't get that if there were all these visitors around. The tribe slowly wondered back to what they had been doing, leaving the twins in peace. Erisa was the last to leave; making sure Tantomile had everything she needed before she went back to her den.

1 _Coricopat and Tantomile had been found by Erisa when they were only kittens themselves. She had brought them to Old Deuteronomy to ask if he knew where they came from. He'd looked worried and told her they were not normal Jellicles and she should put them back where she had found them and leave well alone. Erisa had put them back as she was told, but kept an eye on the tiny twins. For 3 days she had brought them food before she decided she couldn't leave them any longer. They were dirty, cold and scared; no-one was coming for them, that much was obvious to her so she took them to her den.One night she'd been out watching as she always did when there was a mist, when a human woman had approached her. "You took my children in didn't you? I am in trouble and can't look after them any more. You are a good Jellicle, Take care of them for me, when they grow they will know what they are and you will get your reward." With that the woman disappeared in to the mist. The twins had lived with Erisa until their first Jellicle Ball as adult Tom and Queen, when they moved in to the Den they have shared ever since._


	2. Chapter 2

Erisa didn't go straight inside when she arrived home; instead she bounced up to the top of the pile of old machinery that served as her roof. Erisa stared at old washing machine, and giggled "You can come out silly, no-one's around; they're all in my den waiting to pick my brains about the kittens' dad."

A scrawny, spiky ginger tom jumped out of the drum of the washing machine. "So what are they like? I didn't think I'd be welcome at the little gathering so thought I'd drop in on them later… or at least get you to pass on my regards." Macavity wasn't welcome in many places, least of all around kittens. His reputation for destruction and murder was well known; he wasn't beyond kittennapping to get henchcats either. Erisa was one of the few who saw any good in him at all and he respected her for it. That, and the fact Erisa's watching

had given her more knowledge about him than he would like anyone to have, made the tiny queen the only tribe member to have no fear of Macavity at all.

Erisa looked him up and down. "They're just darling. Every one the spitting image of their mother, aura and all, we're going to have some powerful kittens on our paws when they get older. You should go and see them you know, but Bast so help you if you lay as much as a whisker on any of them."

Macavity glared at her, "Erisa, you don't need to warn me off them. I respect your opinion of me too much to harm them, or to take them…… I don't think I'd be welcome at their den though….. Maybe I could visit sometimes when you 'sit them?"

Erisa didn't believe that Macavity wouldn't take the kittens for her sake, but let it ride this time. "Of course, no one is unwelcome at mine so long as they play by my rules." Erisa turned to go, "I seem to be getting more guests, and you'd better be getting along before someone realises you're here."

Erisa trotted over to the edge of the junk, paused then swung round and back-pawed Macavity so hard as he tried to pounce on her that he flipped 180 degrees and landed on his back. "I taught you that game, don't presume to try and beat me at it. It's a very dangerous thing to do" With that warning she dropped down the side of the junk pile and entered her home leaving Macavity shaking himself back to full consiousness wondering how she always knew he was pouning, even when she hadn't seen him before hand. He didn't know what he would do if he ever caught her, he had no intention of harming her in anyway… It was just a challenge.

The collection of visitors Erisa had waiting for her impressed her greatly. Bombalurina, Demeter and Cassandra were regular visitors, as were Mungojerry and Rumpelteazer, though she knew they weren't there on 'official' business this time, but Jenny-any-Dots, Jellylorum, Quaxo, the Rum Tum Tugger, Victor and Plato were there too. "How nice to see you all, can I get anyone a milk? I'm afraid I don't have any cream at the moment, the dairy didn't have any left out for me today."

Jenny-Any-Dots gave her a firm stare "You know perfectly well why we are here, and there is no point in trying to skirt around the issue. Those kittens are fatherless and we all know how it is bad for a kitten's education to be brought up by only one parent. Something must be done!"

Jellylorum gave Jenny a dirty look. "What she means to say, is that it would be good for the kittens to have their father help bring them up. No-one knows who he is though, so we feel we should find out and get him involved."

Erisa laughed. "Those kittens are neither fatherless, nor lacking a father figure. Tantomile knows who their dad is and is determined he will be a part of the kittens' lives, and do you **really** think that Coricopat will have nothing at all to do with those kittens' upbringing?"

"It's not the same!" Jenny snapped. "Those kittens need a proper upbringing with proper role models. They aren't going to know who their dad is if most of the time their uncle is taking the father's jobs. Those two are hardly a suitable influence anyway."

"How dare you? Cori and Tant are respectable members of the tribe!" Cassandra spat, she didn't lose her cool often as she considered it was unnecessary and uncouth. However she knew exactly what the Gumbie cat was implying and she didn't like it one bit. "Next you'll be telling me that what I believe in is wrong, that the moon has no power."

"That's not what I meant!" Jenny spluttered. "Your beliefs are old world tradition, those two are dangerous! They do voodoo rituals; they are WITCH'S CATS for goodness sake!"

"Jenny! I'm surprised at you." Jellylorum scolded, "Witching and Voodoo are ancient Jellicle traditions just as much as moon worship and our annual balls. Just because they don't sit on window sills all day crocheting like you do doesn't mean what the twins do is wrong."

Rumpelteazer had been bouncing around with her paw in the air since Erisa had offered milk to everyone. Seeing that the young queen was getting impatient Erisa left the older queens to their arguing and got a saucer for Rumpelteazer, she also brought one for Mungojerrie knowing that if 'Teazer had one he would want one too. "Thanks Aunty 'Risy. Looks like we're in for a long night huh?" Rumpelteazer sighed. "What I want to know is who they think is going to bring the kittens up if they get taken away from Cori and Tant."

"I was wondering that too, but I'm sure Jenny has it all mapped out in her mind. It's only her who wants them taken away so she won't get far .The rest of the girls are only here because they want to know who the kittens' dad is and came along to see if I'll tell; which I won't."

Erisa settled herself on her favourite box and watched the room. The toms were getting bored; they'd only dropped by to see if she had any sushi left and was up for a game of cards, not for a lecture. Jenny-Any-Dots' one queen crusade for moral standards was not on their list of fun things to do, so they'd probably be going soon. Bomby was equally bored and was giving Tugger goo-goo eyes but getting no response, much to Demeter's amusement. Demeter knew Tugger was paying attention to Bomby, but by pretending to ignore her he was succeeding to make her even more blatant which Tugger loved. When she was behaving like that Erisa knew Bomby would be willing to jump to Tugger's every command when he finally acknowledged her. Demeter obviously wanted to get going too, Erisa knew she had an appointment to keep and she needed to go soon to be able to do so. Mungo and 'Teazer had only turned up because they could smell mischief from a mile off and wanted to watch the fun. They were now getting twitchy and were going to become annoying if they didn't go soon.

Erisa had just started to doze when a large leather gloved paw scratched behind her right ear. "Princess, I'm going now, I can't stand the screeching about morality any longer. We're cats! We aren't supposed to have morals. I'll be round tomorrow if you are up for a hand or two of poker?"

"Sure kitten, I'll be around, if not just come in, I'll only be collecting supper." Erisa rubbed her head against the Tugger's paw, "Now go and practice your feline morals, Bomby's going to explode if you make her wait much longer"

Tugger smirked as he strode out of the den "I can't imagine what you're talking about Erisa." Erisa snorted, she didn't fail to notice the claw that he ran up Bomby's back as he passed her. As she had expected Bomby excused herself almost immediately, closely followed out of the den by Demeter who saw it as a good chance to leave.

Jenny could see she was losing her audience and wasn't impressed in the slightest with the lack of concern for the morality of the tribe. "I can see I'm not going to get any help from all of you, so I am going to go to see Deuteronomy about it. I hope you will support him more than you support me." She stalked out of Erisa's den and headed off towards Deuteronomy's.

"Thank Bast for that! I didn't think I was ever going to get rid of her." Erisa didn't dislike the gumbie cat, but she did find her very hard work. Jenny was of the old school, believing that kittens should be seen and not heard and that anything that could be considered even slightly deviant should be stopped and its existence denied. Erisa raised an eyebrow at the collected Jellicles "What are you all doing here? If there is something I can help you with, please, let me know. Even I need to sleep sometimes you know and that time is now, unless there is something important..."

Everyone giggled and started heading out, all wishing Erisa good night as they went, and continuing the discussion about Tantomile's kittens. The last to leave was Quaxo who seemed to be hanging back a bit. "'Ris, do you really think Cori will let the kittens see their dad?"

"I know he will. He wouldn't upset Tantomile by telling her they couldn't see their dad, it would destroy him if he did. Nor would he risk upsetting the tribe as a whole." Erisa laid a paw on Quaxo's shoulder, "Everything will be fine, honestly. Am I ever wrong?"

Quaxo smiled "No, I can't remember it ever happening 'Ris. Have a restful night."

"You too Quaxo, sleep well."

The den was finally empty; Erisa went into its darkest corner high up in the pile, picked up her teddy bear and settled down for a catnap. Sleep was something Erisa had never done properly; she'd learnt to rest her body and all the parts of her mind separately at a very early age and did so to great effect. One eye was always cracked, watching, one ear was always tuned in to the silence around her. Doing this meant it was unknown for a kitten in her care to cry without being heard and she was never totally unaware of what was going on in her immediate vicinity. She had a vast network of spies working to her keep her up to date on everything else. A whole gang of mice, rats, rabbits and birds collected information for her in return for her protection and left-over food. This deal worked well for her, she couldn't be everywhere at once to find things out. It also meant if someone wanted to know about anything or anyone she was the cat to go to, so everyone owed her a favour or two.

As she rested one of the voices that was always there with her whispered "Erisa, are you sure you shouldn't offer to take those kittens in? Voodoo is a dangerous force for anyone to be around, kittens so young could play with the wrong thing and it could spark disaster." Erisa didn't move, there wasn't any need to. She was in no danger from Iriana or from Helia and Candra who were also there with her.

"Iriana, you know as well as I do those kittens are safe. Tantomile has put a charm on them to make sure of that, didn't you sense it as we walked in to her den earlier? Even of she hadn't, the dangerous voodoo equipment is put well away from exploring youngsters. Don't worry so much" Iriana had kept Erisa company when she had been shut in a trunk as a punishment while she was travelling with the circus. She had talked Erisa out if eating rat poison when the world had seemed out to get her from all sides. Helia had joined them next when Erisa had finally found a way out of her hellish life with the circus and was searching for a place to live before she re-found the tribe. Candra had been the last to appear, no-one really knew why she had…. Cassandra thought it was most likely because nature needs to be balanced, and Candra balanced Helia.

Iriana sighed, "The tribe would worry less if you took over their care. I know they are in no danger, but the tribe are still wary of the twins."

"Iria, go to sleep. I will get the morning report and think on it." Erisa stretched sleepily, "If there are more concerns for them than Jenny's morality issues I will speak to the Elders. Are you happy now?" There was no answer.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun had barely started to poke his nose over the junkyard when Erisa crept down from her hiding place. The night watch would be arriving soon to tell her the events of the night, and she wanted to be prepared, she knew there would be a lot to be told.

Not long after a large black rat ran into her den, he scurried up a box and sat on a level with Erisa's face. "Good morning madam. You rested well?"

"Yes thank you Waldron. Now, do tell, I'm sure there has been a lot of activity." Erisa found the rats the best spies, they were more agile than the rabbits and stronger than the mice, so got into more places, and found more willing informants than the others did. Waldron was her favourite of all her spies. He was polite, intelligent, respectful to a fault and had an ability to remain unseen while collecting his information that made him almost indispensable. Erisa had made him a collar so he stood out from other rats if he was seen running about the junkyard, and had issued a warning to all the Jellicles that she would be deeply hurt if anything was to happen to him. No-one yet had dared to see what would happen if Erisa was deeply hurt.

The rat smiled, "Indeed there has been, now let's see…… After the Gumbie left here she went over to see Mr. Deuteronomy about the kittens. She was sent on her way by Mr. Munkustrap, though the gentlemen both agreed that there should be discussion on the matter, they chose this evening at an hour after sundown as a good time. I get the feeling that you will be welcome there, though no official notification will be sent on the grounds that you have never seemed to have needed invites before, why should you need one now.

The Gumbie was somehow passing Mr. Tugger's corner of the yard on her way home and has requested that Mr. Tugger should get some description of door or screen for the entrance of his den. There was a rather vigorous um, 'grooming session' being indulged in by Mr. Tugger and Miss Bombalurina. It would appear the Gumbie thought behaviour of this nature should not be a public display, so maybe a door would be prudent. Mr Tugger suggested Miss Any-Dots do something I will not repeat as it was of a nature that you should not be subjected to, but I gather by his reply that he was singularly unimpressed by the suggestion."

Erisa rubbed her nose hard to hide her grin, she knew exactly what Tugger would have told Jenny to do with her door, she agreed with him whole heartedly.

Waldron continued, "A number of cats have been seen lurking outside the twins' den. Some are the popular suspects for father to the kittens, some trying to find out who the father is and Mr Asparagus, who had had a little more gin that is completely necessary to have a good time and was in need of a helping paw to get home. Master Mungojerrie obliged in taking him back to the theatre, while Mistress Rumpelteazer stayed to see if there was anything of interest going on. I have report that Master Coricopat is still trying to get the prized information from his sister, he really seems hurt that she won't tell him. A word with her may be in order, for those two to have grievances with one another would be a terrible thing indeed. There is nothing more to report on this matter for the present, though I'm sure there will be further developments over the next few days.

Finally, while attention was elsewhere Master Pouncival and Master Bill-Bailey went on a tour of the junkyard after their allocated bed times and they succeeded to get themselves coated in oil for their trouble. Miss Helmatra will be bathing them this morning as she didn't want the caterwauling to disturb anyone last night. I expect there will be a rather unhappy pair turning up here to tell you how awful their mother is just before lunch.

There is nothing more to report from the junkyard and its surrounding area as attention was reserved for the newborns who, may I say, are adorable for kittens."

"Thank you Waldron, I shall certainly be at the meeting this evening, and be ready for unimpressed kittens to complain this afternoon." Erisa was used to the tom kittens complaining about their mothers, she found it funny watching them playing the big tom, all fluffed up and claws out saying how they'd be missed when they were gone. It never lasted long; they usually went home as soon as it turned dark because they hadn't brought their blankie with them in their hurry to get away from their mothers.

"There's a bag of food by your door, take as much of it as you like, I've done with it." Erisa helped Waldron down and he scurried to his nest under the den thanking her as he went.

The meeting that evening would be fun; she always enjoyed them a lot as everyone, with exception of Deuteronomy, would lose their temper about something before it was over. Chaos would ensue and surrounded in chaos was when Erisa was happiest. She wasn't worried about the fate of the kittens, Deuteronomy and Munkustrap wouldn't take them from their mother, at least for the time being. At the moment there wasn't any other queen with a young enough family of her own to give the special care needed at such a young age.

The autumn sun was now up and warming the Junkyard a little, Jellicles had started going about their light hours business as they did every day. Erisa had nothing to do for an hour or two, so she found a hidden warm spot over her door and lay down to watch the world go by. Bombalurina stalked out of Tugger's den looking tired, ruffled, but very pleased with her self. Electra, Etcetera and Carbucketty were chasing round playing Prowl and Pounce. They hadn't really got the hang of not giggling before they pounced so they always caught each other, though they were looking more convincing than they used to. Demeter was limping from her den across the junkyard to Jemima's, she had a large gash in the back of her front left leg and her face was covered in scratches too. It looked like she'd either been late for her appointment or her meet up had taken a turn for the worse as they so often did. Demeter often ended up looking like this, she knew she should walk away but couldn't, it just wasn't that easy.

The peace in the junkyard was shattered but a loud splash and two piercing caterwauls. Helmatra had obviously just put her oily kitten into a bowl of water and was cleaning the worst of the mess out. Erisa cringed, oil was a nasty thing to try and get out of fur, and if the wearers of the oil were wriggling it would be painful all round. Everyone in the tribe had frozen when they heard the noise; even Old Deuteronomy had come out to see who was being strangled. Makkentass stuck his head out and apologised for his sons' volume. There were some offers to lend a paw with the clean up, which was gratefully received as it was going to be a mammoth task.

An hour past, the helpers re-emerged from Makkentass' and Helmatra's den. Erisa thought she'd better get back inside as it wouldn't be long before she was visited to be told how bad the world was when you are a tom kitten. She made sure no-one was looking and jumped down from her vantage point. Out of the corner of her eye Erisa caught sight of a movement under the junk by the entrance to her den. Curious as ever she went to investigate. Lowering her head she could see a small rat, who was shuffling about looking scared and crying softly. "What's wrong? Are you lost?"

"Y-y-yes, I w-wanted to f-f-f-find where my daddy was and I g-got lost. P-p-please don't eat me."

"I'm not going to eat you. Now what's your name?"

"P-P-Paola, daddy says it means s-s-small."

"Ah, you're one of Waldron's. Didn't your daddy tell you I don't eat living animals unless they are naughty and don't do what they are told by their parents?"

"Are you the cat daddy calls Madam?" Paola seemed a little less worried, but still not totally sure she was safe. "Daddy says the only cat I am allowed to talk to is Madam Erisa, because she is kind to us."

"Your daddy is very special to me, I won't harm you, I promise, now come out and we'll see if we can't get you home."

The little rat edged her way out watching Erisa all the time. She knew cats were dangerous, they killed rats, but her daddy had said this one was safe. She still wasn't sure. Erisa put a paw out and gently stroked Paola's head, then lifted the rat up on to her back. They got back inside and Erisa pointed out the way down to the nest. "Go on, your dad will be worried sick about you. Quick, I don't want anyone less friendly coming in and trying to eat you. That wouldn't be nice at all." Erisa wasn't offended that she wasn't thanked by the rat before she disappeared down the tunnel. Cats made small creatures nervous, it was the way of the world.

Paola's departure hadn't been a moment too soon, the familiar patter of kitten paws charged into the den with in seconds of her going. "Aunty 'Risa, it's awful! Mum made us all wet…." Pouncival started.

"We hadn't done anything bad or nothing! She just pulled us out of bed and put us in water." Bill-Bailey continued

"Yeah, it's so unfair; we're good boys we are!" Pouncival butted in.

"Honest aunty 'Risa!" They both finished together, giving Erisa big baby eyes.

"You did nothing wrong at all?" The kittens shock their heads hard. "Your mum just pulled you out of bed and washed you for no reason at all?" The Toms looked a little uncomfortable, but still nodded their heads. "It wasn't you two that snuck out last night and got themselves covered in oil then?" They both looked hard at something on the floor. "No, I didn't think it would be you." Erisa grinned. "Not Billy and Pounci! No mischief when they're around."

"We might have been a little bit dirty, but only behind our ears where we couldn't reach properly." Bill-Bailey whispered.

"Oh dear, she put you in water just because you were slightly grubby behind the ears, who do mothers think they are! So do you two want to stay here for a bit and have some lunch?"

"Yes please aunty 'Risa." The kittens chorused.

"Mum will be worried about where we are," Pouncival grinned, "That'll learn her not to put us in water."

"That will _**teach**_ her, not learn her. Come on then, if you want lunch we have to go and get it. Will the fish and chip shop do? It's delivery day."

The three Jellicles headed off to the village, the kittens were puffed up and trying to look important, pouncing on the last of the remaining fallen leaves and hissing at cars. Erisa, on the other hand, was playing up to the people they saw along their way. She liked people, people were generally easy to control, people gave her things whether they realised they were giving or not. They soon arrived at the back yard of the chippy. The two kittens followed Erisa up onto the dustbins and over the fence and on to the back door. Erisa let out a couple of pleading meows, and was soon answered by the owner.

"Hello cat, you're hungry are you? Well hang on a sec and I'll see what I've got for you." The man hurried away and came back a couple of minutes later with two large pieces of cod and some prawns. "I see you've got some friends with you today, are you looking after them then? Aren't you a kind little thing? Well I'd better be getting back to my customers now. You come and see me again won't you?" The man walked back into his shop, muttering to himself about going soft in the head talking to cats like they'd understand him.

The trio ate their fish quickly, they weren't in danger of losing it to anyone, but nature dictated that eating must be done fast. The kittens were then made to wash their faces before they went home, which they didn't think they should have to because they had been put in water already so were cleaner than they should be. Erisa threatened to take them right back to their mum so she could wash their faces for them if they didn't do what they were told. They didn't argue anymore. Soon they were on their way back to Erisa's den, enjoying the sunshine as they went.


End file.
